[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6593956,"mediaKeyId","3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5","parentId",3516134,"title","Votes at a glance: Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board meeting actions","audioSeconds",140,"startMs",80000,"endMs",220000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5&start=80&end=220","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5/thumbnail_80000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6593956/Nevada/Votes-at-a-glance-Truckee-Meadows-Regional-Planning-Governing-Board-meeting-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593956-b2394bbc284902b3aab2e60cefa32a33/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167807&Signature=hAB7pIx5StZEhV1daprfxkW008e8RqR0bC6M4GnHwqIu3QzQN5vQKo2m4fLOjEqvwGZDC~jxVxpLpNJTp2OB~KxdLmsU1VaCR-yabysOP3N2uqqVbC2Nh4wnUYidyf17F6JlmSub96G0c1ISm0Axw-fVHGoif1pl~y4VsLJDpM62T6K7xSB73753hOGE-3xsi0LwyK6gzvx2V3rGjdjx8aH7rU0wVvhATSALOutEQFSeR~kk9sWTBtaQdodW8--8bW3xTWQqGhTskf3IEarHDE6gybSTdxo5eJU8ikXzbV7ItRxD3R9peXYQCC5b6OZWCC2JJWSCqIGiK9lT6cwXWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency","date","2025-04-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board recorded the following formal actions and outcomes during the meeting (all motions carried by unanimous voice vote unless otherwise noted):

- Approval of the meeting agenda (motion by Diane Vanderwell; carried unanimously).

- Approval of the minutes of the February 13, 2025 governing board meeting (motion by Member Duer; carried unanimously).

- Consent agenda item: update to the TMRPA employee handbook incorporating guidance from a \"pool pack\" assessment; motion to approve was moved and adopted (motion by Diane Vanderwell; second by Joe Rodriguez; carried unanimously). Staff noted the redline changes were distributed to board members.

- Item 7a: Public hearing and adoption of Regional Planning Governing Board Resolution 25-01, a mapping amendment to the 2024 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan to add a regional utility site and corridor for Dodge Flat Solar 2 (Washoe County–sponsored). Motion to adopt by Diane Vanderwell; second by Joe Rodriguez. Motion carries unanimously; public hearing closed.

- Item 7b: Motion directing staff to work with the three jurisdictions, affected entities, and school stakeholders to craft regional policy language assuring alignment of process and requirements for all school approvals and to finalize an MOU with the State Public Charter School Authority (move to direct staff; motion carried unanimously). Staff to return a draft MOU in June.

- Item 7c: Motion directing staff to include an overarching review of TMRPA’s role and approach to reviewing projects and land-use requests for energy generation and transmission (with a focus on data centers) in the agency’s strategic work plan goals for FY25–26. Motion carried unanimously.

These actions were recorded on the public record during the meeting and, where applicable, are supported by staff reports and the meeting packet materials.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regional Planning Governing Board | April 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Summary of motions and final outcomes recorded during the meeting: approval of agenda and minutes, consent approval of employee handbook updates, adoption of Dodge Flat Solar 2 regional-plan amendment, staff directives on school-policy MOU and energy/data-center review — all motions carried unanimously.","taxTitle","Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency, Other State Agencies, Organizations, Executive, Nevada","taxId",55181,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6593960,"Board asks staff to study agency role on energy generation, transmission and data centers; staff to include work in strategic plan goals",774,2962000,3736000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5&start=2962&end=3736","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5/thumbnail_2962000.jpg","/articles/6593960/Nevada/Board-asks-staff-to-study-agency-role-on-energy-generation-transmission-and-data-centers-staff-to-include-work-in-strategic-plan-goals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593960-1a899cd3eaec2ad27a01c59aa461243f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167807&Signature=caQkMuXS5T9wMCC6pBHG1O~8ye-1l21-S0dLEyaLrBv8KUbf78~AFfGIhIMuLxZdTAREo6stkMmgcZ~U8fUouTBZayuIgAUoe3A-5WnGZC6BEWY4wb55Kp-uC13UDVn368s-fcNYRNi4gSTPDkli2anaKY1i~n84uuRIC-DEaI~18g8dN56JXfpa2tMevZ4dNeqAeLW2bqNGcAnMHRbFOkuPkIujvCCkTWJoxrNAVyo~ML5rEeJFgMs6J7C3TjmgeCbGk48oToQAzfhyr3PY-FIUuhccAau4gSw7dgy4Fk5U6xwt1FokcfnEN90QN7n2mJ0dFCHY2D6FOFu0hByRZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board unanimously directed TMRPA staff to include an overarching review of the agency’s role and approach to reviewing energy generation and transmission projects — including a focused look at data centers — in the agency’s strategic work plan for fiscal year 2025–26.

Jeremy Smith reviewed state statutory context (NRS 278.026) that defines Projects of Regional Significance (PRS) and specifically lists electric generation and transmission among uses the regional planning commission must review. Smith noted the statute exempts state agencies and public utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada from some review obligations, which limits direct agency authority over certain utilities. He also recounted the agency’s historical Regional Utility Corridor Report (first adopted 1999, amended 2009) and cited eight energy-related policies in the regional plan staff will use to evaluate projects.

Smith summarized a staff report on data centers prepared for the Regional Planning Commission. He told the board data centers are an emergent, energy‑intensive land use with widely varying scales: small server sites, medium colocation facilities, and large hyperscale centers used for high‑performance computing and AI that can draw tens of megawatts each. Smith said data centers typically have low employee density (high square feet per employee), low vehicle-trip generation relative to other uses, but high electricity and potentially high water demands depending on cooling technology. He flagged evaporative cooling as a consumptive water use that can be inappropriate in an arid region and said alternatives such as closed-loop cooling, direct-to-chip cooling, or using treated effluent should be considered.

Smith also noted the evolving nature of electricity planning and rate impacts. He described “Rule 9” cost-allocation mechanisms that can assign some distribution and transmission costs to large customers, but observed that the cost of new generation (power plants) may not be covered in the same way and could ultimately affect ratepayers. The board and public commenters raised concerns that rapid growth of data centers may require large investments in generation and transmission that could shift costs to other customers.

Public commenters and board members urged staff to analyze site-suitability, water and energy tradeoffs, potential noise and lighting impacts, business-license and tax-treatment implications (including state-level tax abatements and sales-tax treatment), and possible mitigation measures such as siting clusters in industrial zones, requiring on-site generation, or conditioning approvals on water-conserving cooling systems. Several members suggested TMRPA convene utilities, NV Energy, developers, and jurisdiction staff as part of the review. Smith said staff will pursue outreach, include this review in the strategic work plan, and monitor integrated-resource planning and other NV Energy processes.

Member (unnamed in record) moved the staff-inclusion motion and Member Joe Rodriguez seconded; the motion passed unanimously.","TMRPA staff will include a review of the agency’s role and approach to energy generation and transmission projects — with a focus on data centers — in the agency’s FY25–26 strategic work plan after the board directed staff to proceed unanimously.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6593965,"Regional board directs staff to craft policy and MOU on new-school approvals, aiming for consistent review across jurisdictions",1915,1022000,2937000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5&start=1022&end=2937","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5/thumbnail_1022000.jpg","/articles/6593965/Nevada/Regional-board-directs-staff-to-craft-policy-and-MOU-on-new-school-approvals-aiming-for-consistent-review-across-jurisdictions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593965-4cb46549f3d82bfb8f48fee14feab208/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167807&Signature=V8qWbdEkFO4xCnYvvJJmSTef6uXde067PxkJNFZ4GSmq9wiNUZ7t0iullagLY1mVUV4cUrghFEjD9bHI2fkJZnY9lB3dRZU~fy2qnqP26fAVwgFcmKE5pSzUQQN2TOpt4sGefO6KKipvdgYBv9TfyGJxXv4pPwdxZYVNn3hc75V7IcHzNZ5IaN07fjGYbnZSLifAEj104bEhdpQxe5FE-PyedGZP8DJVhPK97B5N9hnGlbumFIsS1AVzkNBmiINaIcE-l8V6UYBNq3tyy7g5ZwTm6uwifZB7PbjtK0ujEcwvMvQ62vp3JqCF-USqscJZ9wm1kpjuwEUd6wUZwJv1VA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board unanimously directed staff to work with the three local jurisdictions, affected entities and school stakeholders to craft regional plan policy language and a memorandum of understanding to align the process and requirements for new school approvals.

Jeremy Smith, TMRPA director, reviewed a multi-year effort to determine whether schools should be treated as Projects of Regional Significance (PRS). Smith said the agency convened broad stakeholder meetings — including local elected leadership, regional planning commission leaders, Washoe County School District staff and representatives from charter school organizations — and concluded that applying the PRS mechanism to schools is not workable or appropriate at this time. Reasons cited included lack of empirical traffic data at the necessary granularity, timing issues in the PRS process that could create investment uncertainty, and the variable, often incremental growth patterns of charter schools that make a clean threshold difficult to apply.

Smith said stakeholders reached consensus that a better approach would be to craft regional-plan policy language that asks local jurisdictions to adopt consistent master-plan provisions and review processes for all kinds of schools (district, charter, private) so the approval path is foreseeable and aligned across jurisdictions. Smith said work to memorialize information-sharing with the State Public Charter School Authority is already underway in a proposed MOU, which staff anticipate bringing back to the board for review in June.

Legal counsel Jessica Parenti told the board she was working with the charter school authority’s legal counsel on the MOU language. Board members representing Reno, Sparks and Washoe County said they supported an approach that preserves local zoning and ordinance authority while seeking greater consistency in thresholds and public-review opportunities. Members described past contentious local cases — including a high-profile charter school appeal in Reno — as motivation for improved, predictable review processes.

Member (Chair) Harris moved the directive; an unnamed member seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Staff will continue MOU negotiations and work with jurisdictions and stakeholders to draft policy language for consideration by the board at a future meeting, with an anticipated return in June for the MOU and later amendments to the regional plan if needed.","Board unanimously directed staff to work with local jurisdictions, school stakeholders and the State Public Charter School Authority to craft regional plan policy language and an MOU to align school approval processes for district, charter and private schools.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6593969,"Regional board adopts amendment to allow Dodge Flat Solar 2 expansion and new substation in East Truckee River Canyon",799,217000,1016000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5&start=217&end=1016","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516134-e82fb6ac7221beb309de49396a7fa6c5/thumbnail_217000.jpg","/articles/6593969/Nevada/Regional-board-adopts-amendment-to-allow-Dodge-Flat-Solar-2-expansion-and-new-substation-in-East-Truckee-River-Canyon","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6593969-d65ad2eab7b85c0a3c988b78305d07f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167807&Signature=HVYEm5kz3KJRFO4dB7KUkUn2YVX9eQDrJbHCbmOFga30SkZDCafvWmt1S6GSDzy2TlshkzxZBws9DEVjC3rGRs7Hk6E9E-V2unBIc~~3VQWizVr5uqWajlVqn4dwYh0BVLmBhj8-Q8TplyI-HoOaqRckdRJkmdVdVcgm5o3uHA4O-l-fGEP8yCEHOTNakInEY9UX3Z-8p0S5Sp5zoFKoXNHk7DOcwdZ8NpBlYLGuME5FH9Ipsh9tvAkt5WfBItYhTkyr-yMB4V8qsBMs0v28fsscTk919w-n0WCfjRtkvP2I-HoIoH2ivxK02UVLKn907uOKmBBjj4E9GmwJPEiLfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board on a unanimous voice vote adopted Resolution 25-01 to amend the 2024 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan to add a new regional utility site and regional utility corridor to the East Truckee River Canyon for the Dodge Flat Solar 2 project.

The amendment authorizes mapping a regional utility site where a new substation would be located and a one-mile regional utility corridor to connect that substation to the existing Olinghaus substation. The amendment was presented to the board as a Washoe County–sponsored regional plan amendment and described as an expansion of the Dodge Flat Energy Center, a facility first established in 2018 and previously approved by regional planning bodies.

Policy analyst Nate Kusha (for the record, TMRPA policy analyst) told the board the proposal does not change residential capacity projections and is an expansion of an existing facility. Kusha said the site lies in the rural area, that the project \"will be self contained as far as facilities and services,\" and that per policy PF4 rural-area infrastructure-extension prohibitions would not be triggered. He also said portions of the subject site overlap public and restricted lands development-constraint areas but noted utilities are exempt from NR3 requirements. Kusha said the applicant had been communicating with Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal staff because the site abuts tribal land, but he reported the tribe had not submitted comments to county staff on the county's review record.

Washoe County planner Tim Evans confirmed tribal staff had not submitted comments during the county review period. Applicant Matthew Smith of NextEra Energy said the applicant obtained a right-of-way grant from Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe for portions of Bolinghouse Road for access and that a tribal liaison group has been in contact with the tribe about the project and the right-of-way grant.

Vice Chair Diane Vanderwell moved adoption of the resolution; Member Joe Rodriguez seconded. With no public testimony on the record for this hearing, the board voted to approve the amendment and the public hearing was closed.

The regional plan mapping amendment will allow the Dodge Flat Solar 2 expansion to proceed through local land-use processes consistent with the regional plan findings cited in the staff report.

The board recorded no conditions in its motion beyond the findings summarized in staff materials.","The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board unanimously adopted a mapping amendment to add a regional utility site and corridor for the Dodge Flat Solar 2 expansion, enabling a new substation and one-mile transmission line connection to the existing Olinghaus substation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board meeting actions

Board asks staff to study agency role on energy generation, transmission and data centers; staff to include work in strategic plan goals

Regional board directs staff to craft policy and MOU on new-school approvals, aiming for consistent review across jurisdictions

Regional board adopts amendment to allow Dodge Flat Solar 2 expansion and new substation in East Truckee River Canyon